Boondock Saints
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Boondock Saints
Written/Directed by Troy Duffy
Soundtrack by Troy Duffy's band, The Brood/The Boondock Saints
Starring Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, David Della Rocco, Billy Connolly
Released January 21, 2000 (only 5 theaters, and for only 7 days)
Budget: $6M ($9.1M in 2021)
Box Office: $30,471 ($30,4287 in 2021) in 5 theatres, eventually generated $50M in domestic video sales.
Gross: Technically a flop, but made it back due to cult status.
Ratings: IMDb 7.8/10 Rotten Tomates 28%
Metacritic 44% Google Users 98%
Plot:
We open in a church, with a priest finishing the Lords prayer. Sean Patrick Flanery's Murphy and Norman Reedus' Connor MacManus are shown to be praying, with a voice over talking about vengeance, when the priest began talking about the story of Kitty Genovese, that the biggest fear is the indifference of good men. as the credits roll, we learn about the brothers, that they work at a meat plant, and prank each other. See the Boston highlights. The brothers are put in charge of a new employee, a large woman, who takes offence to Connor referencing the rule of thumb, and Connor suggests it should've been the rule of wrist. Murphy suggests its a joke, since it's St Patricks Day. She kicks Connor in the groin, Murphy punches her. We briefly see the derelict apartment they live in, flash to the pub they hang out at and introduced to David Della Rocco with an on-screen fact sheet: Boston Italian Mafia, Yakavetta Family, and a package boy/numbers runner. Doc informs everyone he's having to close the bar down, and gives some incorrect proverbs, when Ivan Checkov, Russian Crime Syndicate, soldier, says the bar will shut down now. The brothers try and defuse the situation, and Ivan threatens them. Fade to black.
S:
-Docs proverbs: People in glass houses sink sh-sh-ships, A penny saved is worth two in the bush, isn't it? Don't cross the road if you can't get out of the kitchen.
-Very fun way of establishing characters
-Troy Duffy wanted people to know they were brothers before they ever even spoke
Fade back in to police presence and "next day" on screen. Greenley proposes two scenerios the guys could've been killed as we're introduced to FBI Agent Paul Smecker, of the Organized Crime Task Force. Smecker ridicules him for his Huge Guy theory and Serial Crusher theory, and send him for coffee. He puts in his head phones and works out the crime scene to an opera ariea. He correctly predicts the bullets, and the detectives notice when he touches the uniformed officer. He explains how this crime was obviously one of personal connections. Cut to the hospital, Doc tells the brothers an FBI agent was looking for them, and they said they'd go talk to them anyway as it was self defence. Smecker briefs the police, Greenly makes another wrong prediction as the brothers stagger in. Smecker is about to start the interview, they speak to each other in another language and decide to tell him about the guns and money. Smecker asks about the victims bandages, and we flash back to the night before. Insults are traded and a HUGE fight ensues. They show Ivan tied to the bar and his butt set on fire. It cuts to the brothers waking up the next day and the Russians breaking in to their apartment. Ivan tells Connor he wanted to kill him, but is going to kill his brother instead. Which sends him into a rage, pulling up the toilet he is handcuffed to. As Ivan has Murphy on his kness, the toilet strikes Ivan, and Connor lands on the other Russian. Murphy takes all the valuables, and Connor to safety. Cut back to them talk to Smecker, in different languages. The police give their statement they're not charging the MacManus brothers, as they go back in Rocco comes with clothes, that they're glad to receive.
S:
-Notice how put together Smecker is, 3 piece suit, coat,
-Why is it ONLY Smecker? I thought most FBI agents are partnered.
-This is the ONLY scene he listens to opera music on scene.
-Love Greenly and how bad it is.
-The toilet is obviously fake, the whole bottom is cut out so he can see where he's carrying it. Also, if he jumped from the 5th floor... even onto someone, you're breaking a femur at least.
-Director told Sean Patrick Flanery not to help Norman Reedus help pick him up.
-At the press conference, Smecker is just in the 3 piece suit now
The brothers, while asleep in the prison, have a shared dream, cutting in the priest from earlier (the indifference of good men) and Billy Connollys voice, "Whosoever shed man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed. For in the image of God made He man." They wake up and give each other knowing glances. When they walk out, all the cops are excited to see them. Connor returns a call the Russian pager received and got the name of a Hotel. Rocco goes into an office, where Ron Jeremy's Vincenzo Lapazzi, an underboss for the Yakavetta family, teases and taunts him. Sitting across the table is Giuseppi Yakavetta, "Pappa Joe," Mafia Don of the Yakavetta family, looking comatose. He comes alive, and tells Rocco to tell him a joke... Which is WILDLY inappropriate... Connor and Murphy are in some sort of armary and begin going through and picking out their weapons, and arguing about whether or not they need rope. The brothers are shown walking the streets of Boston, then in an elevator. Connor asks Murphy if he's nervous, when he says a bit... and they start preparing, fade to black.
S:
-Funny Man's joke... wow... Totally forgot about that.
-Wall of armory: "While the wicket stand confounded, call me, with thy saints surrounded"
-Love the 50's style dreamy music in the armory
Phone rings and we see Smecker in bed with a guy who keeps trying to cuddle with him as he talks. Smecker doesn't cuddle... We cut to him walking in a room with a BUNCH of dead bodies. Greenly misses Smeckers question about how many bodies, and questions the other detectives about motive. There is some exposition about the reasoning they used pennies over the eyes, how and why they shot the fat guy in the manner in which they did. As Smecker wraps up, talking about 8 well aimed shots and has to be two people. Flash back to the brothers finishing a prayer, they start crawling through the air vents and we see the previously seen dead fat guy, Yuri Petrova: Russian Crime Syndicate Boss, in a meeting with the other victims. As the brothers crawl, and start to realize they're lost, Yuri is railing on the other guys in the room. The brothers start to argue and fight, when the air vent collapses under them, into the room, they're dangling upside down, and shoot all the guys in the room, saving the fat man for last, and what is arguably the most famous part of the movie, their family prayer: PLAY MUSIC. They then go around, crossing arms, and laying pennies on eyes, killing those who aren't already dead. Cut back to Smecker, realizing the killers aren't professionals. Back to the brothers talking about how easy it was, and how good they are. As they check the money, the door buzzes and they see its Rocco... and they decide to fuck with him. They scare him, and realize his boss may have sent him on a suicide mission. They revel themselves, and Rocco can't believe it. Flash back to Smecker and talking about how these are super high up crime bosses, and that it could be the beginning of an international gang war.
S:
-Willim Dafoes river dance, also notice, an unbuttoned two button suit, and coat gets removed...
-"There are 9 bodies, and 6 shots, what were you going to do, laugh the last two to death, funny man?!"
-The upside down shoot out is the most famous scene from this whole movie... It's awesome, but Matrix did it a year before in 1999.
-The word Fuck is used 246 times in the movie,
MacManus brothers and Rocco sitting around talking about why they started doing what they're doing, lots of exposition. Into a montage of them drinking, which ends with Rocco slamming his hand down, and killing the cat. The next day, Connor and Rocco go to have a smoke, Connor suggests he was set up, Rocco doesn't like it. Murphy joins, and agrees with Connor, Rocco gets pissed and leaves. They're shown nervously waiting by the phone when Rocco calls, has a strange conversation, and some women arrive at Roccos apartment. Everything is quiet, when Rocco comes busting in and saying they have to go, realizing he was set up. Flash back to Roccos original call on his side. He cooly walks into Lakeview Luch, he talks to two guys who confirm he was setup. Flash back to them leaving the apartment, Rocco asks them to stop in front of the Sin Bin, he wants to kill Lapazzi, when they realize they don't have a system, that the first two fell in their laps. Rocco wants to be that guy, since he knows everyones business. Cuts to night and we see Lapzzi showing up to the strip club. They all three go in. They tease Rocco about his mask, and charge in. Fade to black then Smecker coming through the same door. It cuts back and forth, from the shooting and Smecker trying to figure out what happened. Lapazzi was the obvious mark, but why the two extra victims. Greenly finally makes a contribution, they're bad guys, now they're dead bad guys. Immediately messes it up by telling him about the "not related" shooting downtown... As Smecker is leaving, he realizes the shooter crossed his arms to fire, Rocco exclaims, "Wyatt Fuckin Erp!" and Smecker says, "looks like we got us a cowboy. " As they walk out, Rocco asks to learn the prayer, when they tell him it's a family prayer, from their fathers, fathers, father.
S:
-Troy Duffy wrote this because he saw a drug dealer taking money off a corpse across the hall of his apartment.
-Love the music during Roccos shooting scene
-The two other victims were from deleted scenes.
-"good shooting, shitty shooting"
In the Lakeview crime-scene, Smecker and the detectives work through the crime. Don of the Yakavetta goes to see an old boss, and we're introduced to "Il Duce" or the Duke. Its made very clear how dangerous he is. We then see he makes parole. Rocco tells about the worst guy he's ever met, and we follow him as he kills a whole family. They plan on killing him, and the rest at their weekly poker game. Cut to Smecker and the detectives at the aftermath. Flash back to the guys getting ready, with Smecker actually with them as the hit occurs. Through the garage, kidnapping the wife, and in to the poker game. Connor holds Murphy back, and wanted to let Rocco do the kill himself. Murphy rolls him a pool ball to help him out. Smecker has totally lost it, and explains what they encountered, incorrectly, outside the house. IT WAS A FIREFIGHT!! Smecker is conducting during the shooting, Il Duce hits Roccos finger, Connor in the leg, and takes a bullet to his arm/shoulder. Greenly correctly predicts one guy with six guns. When Smecker realizes they've used ammonia, he breaks down, to ultimately find Roccos finger, which he takes. The guys are then shown cauterize their wounds. Rocco wants to kill Smecker, but he isn't to be touched, since he's a good man. Smecker runs the fingerprint, and recalls seeing him bringing the MacManus brothers clothes early on. The brothers go to chuch and Rocco sees Smecker stumble out onto the street and follows him into the church. Rocco goes into the confessional with the priest, Connor pulls Roccos head through the screen and will kill him if he hurts Smecker... Smecker has an ethical dilemma. He is told "the laws of God are higher than the laws of man"...and sends Smecker on his path.
S:
-Does ammonia actually make blood samples unusable?
The guys call Smecker and give him a description of Il Duce. The old crime boss tells Smecker Yakavetta has all the guns at his house, which we cut to, and they've caught them trying to sneak in the basement. They've obviously been beat. Papa Joe kills Rocco. The brothers are pissed, Papa Joe says he's going to take care of Il Duce, Connor is showing to be breaking Murphys wrist to slip out of the cuffs. Then Smecker arrives... Dressed in drag. Smeckers wig falls off and he's forced to shoot him... After he does, he says, "too far... too far" but is committed. "It's on now." He finds on of the goons throat slit, and is hit from behind by Il Duce. As he sneaks up on the brothers, he hears their prayer, and finishes it, laying his hands on them.
3 Months Later
Yakavetta is on trial, and we're shown how Greenly and Smecker and working with the MacManus family now. They bust in the court room, no masks, and Il Duce gives an epic monologue and marks their introduction to the world. They state their purpose, not to protect the innocent, but to kill the evil, and corruption. With Papa Joe on his knees, they say the prayer and kill him. In an apartment, Connor asks how far they're going to take it, and Il Duce responds by asking do they have what it takes to take it as far as its needed. fade out, then back in to the news caster, the film ends with people giving their opinion of "The Saints," as they've been dubbed.
S:
-When they shoot off Roccos finger, and Sean Patrick Flanery gets splattered, I want to know who got to pull that one.
-The director would agitate the actors to get them the correct level of pissed off, not sure how.
-There was TOO much tongue in that kiss...
-Never really noticed how fake the tats are, not black, but blue.
-Supposedly had to give Billy Connelly a bigger cigar because he couldn't stop smiling wearing the gun vest, and he was having so much fun.
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